Cougars make strong case for best UH team ever

University of Houston quarterback David Klingler was named one of Southwest Conference athletes of the year.

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chronicle file POWERHOUSE: John Newhouse gains yardage for the 1979 Cougars, the Southwest Conference champs who beat Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl.

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University of Houston quarterback Case Keenum (7) rolls out to avoid University of Tulsa linebacker Curnelius Arnick (32) and complete a pass during the second quarter of a NCAA football game, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa. ( Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle )

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Smiley N. Pool: Chronicle GOT HIS MAN: UH linebacker Sammy Brown (8) sacks SMU's J.J. McDermott despite a distraction from behind. Quarterback Case Keenum called the Cougars' defensive showing in the Nov. 19 game the best he can remember.

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University of Houston quarterback Case Keenum (7) celebrates after University of Houston running back Michael Hayes (29) jumped over a pile of players for a touch down during the fourth quarter of a NCAA football game against the University of Tulsa, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa. The University of Houston won 48-16. ( Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle )

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NICK de la TORRE: CHRONICLE
MR. EXCITEMENT: UH quarterback Case Keenum has fans fired up, but he says the team is focused on the game at hand.

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University of Houston quarterback Case Keenum (7) and defensive back Zachary McMillian (10) have a word as time runs out of their NCAA football game against University of Tulsa, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa. The University of Houston won 48-16. ( Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle )

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University of Houston quarterback Case Keenum (7) gives the Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band their share of high fives after beating the University of Tulsa 48-16 in a NCAA football game, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa.

Photo By Nick de la Torre

University of Houston fans show their support for Case Keenum as the \h plays the University of Tulsa in a NCAA football game, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa. The University of Houston won 48-16. ( Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle )

Notable: The Jack Pardee-coached crew was led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Andre Ware and averaged more offensive yards per game (625) than any other in NCAA history. It missed the postseason because of probation.1979

Notable: They didn't finish nationally ranked, but quarterback Kevin Kolb led a big step forward for the program, which won C-USA and regained some national relevancy.

They've won more games than any other team in University of Houston football history. They're the only group to go this far into the season without a loss. They have a quarterback who's a Heisman Trophy candidate and has broken NCAA record after NCAA record. They're crushing opponents by wide margins.

Does that make the 2011 Houston Cougars the best team in UH football history? It depends on whom you ask.

There are cases for teams from the Bill Yeoman era - 1973, 1976 and 1979 in particular - the Jack Pardee and John Jenkins days of 1989 and 1990, and, if you really want to dial it back, the 1952 Cougars, who were an impressive bunch on defense.

But if the No. 7 Cougars (12-0, 8-0 Conference USA) are to win Saturday when they host No. 24 Southern Mississippi (10-2, 6-2) in the C-USA Championship Game at 11 a.m. at Robertson Stadium, they could make a strong case of their own. In many ways, they already have.

"What they've been able to accomplish from a national perspective as far as records, I would have to say that this 2011 team is by far the best," said UH co-offensive coordinator Jason Phillips, who starred for the 1987 and 1988 Cougars and has seen many of the school's greatest teams. "As far as what it's been able to accomplish throughout its season, no matter what you may say about the records or the scheduling, to go 12-0 in the regular season is a feat that's difficult to accomplish in today's game."

Whitley, Davis lead way

Those who saw or were a part of the 1970s-era Yeoman squads can make strong cases for those teams. One team in particular that has a lot of respect in UH lore is the 1976 team led by defensive lineman Wilson Whitley and quarterback Danny Davis. It went 10-2 and won the Southwest Conference in the Cougars' first season of participation in the league. UH finished that season ranked fourth nationally, the highest finish in school history, and it beat an undefeated Maryland squad in the Cotton Bowl. That team also beat an undefeated Texas Tech team in Lubbock on its way to the conference title.

"Maybe it was because it was their first year (in the Southwest Conference) or because of the whole series of events (to win the conference), but that would be my pick," said former UH sports information director Ted Nance, who spent 33 years at UH.

Yeoman himself said his 1973 team was impressive. Those Cougars went 11-1, played an independent schedule and finished No. 9 in the rankings. Their only loss came at Auburn, which was ranked fifth at the time.

"We had three or four pretty good football teams," Yeoman said. "The only loss we had (in 1973) was to Auburn over there. That one was pretty good."

Taking down big names

Like its 1976 predecessor, the 1979 team won the Southwest Conference and finished in the top five in the rankings, sliding in at No. 5 after a Cotton Bowl win over No. 7 Nebraska. That team also went 11-1.

"That team beat UCLA, Florida and Nebraska, some big-name schools in that stretch," Nance said.

And while those 1970s-era teams ran Yeoman's signature veer offense, the 2011 crew more closely resembles the 1989 and '90 teams, which ran the run-and-shoot and put up unprecedented offensive numbers. Those teams rank first and third in NCAA history in offensive yards per game, with the 2011 edition on pace to become the No. 2 team.

Quarterback Andre Ware won the Heisman Trophy while leading the '89 Cougars to a 9-2 record and a No. 14 national ranking, while David Klingler smashed NCAA records while leading the '90 Cougars to a 10-1 mark and a No. 10 ranking. Neither team went bowling because the team was on probation, but their credentials can't be ignored.

And those teams were stocked with talent. The squads combined to produce nine NFL draft picks, including five in the top three rounds and two first-rounders in Ware and linebacker Lamar Lathon.

"They have the 'it' factor," said Pedé, an '89 UH grad. "They refuse to lose, and a lot of it is because the defense is playing well. When you have a defense that will get the ball back for a juggernaut offense, it will beat teams."